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Definition of crayfish
1 : any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans (especially families Astacidea, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae) resembling the lobster but usually much smaller
2 : spiny lobster
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Recent Examples of crayfish from the Web
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Small spinnerbaits, soft plastic flukes, crayfish, and crankbaits are working for all three bass species.
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Invasive species like largemouth bass and crayfish that are moved around in bait buckets could also impact hellbender numbers.
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Baits of choice include worms, salmon eggs, fish entrails, chicken livers, crayfish tails, shrimp and grasshoppers.
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These aren't small holes like those created by chipmunks or crayfish or ground-dwelling bees.
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However, habitat loss, pollution and the rise of nonnative species such as crayfish and predatory bullfrogs have vastly shrunk the population.
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Otters eat practically any animal that moves in riparian corridors: fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, crayfish, birds, salamanders.
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Other researchers have found something like pessimism in bees, something like anxiety in crayfish, and a defensive state that bears some relation to fear in fruit flies.
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Display cases also hold opalized freshwater crayfish gastroliths, or yabby buttons, which are found only in Lightning Ridge’s opal mines.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crayfish'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of crayfish
Origin and Etymology of crayfish
by folk etymology from Middle English crevis, from Anglo-French creveis, escreveice, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German krebiz crab — more at crab
CRAYFISH Defined for English Language Learners
crayfish
playDefinition of crayfish for English Language Learners
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: an animal that looks like a small lobster and lives in rivers and streams
CRAYFISH Defined for Kids
crayfish
playDefinition of crayfish for Students
crayfish
1 : a freshwater shellfish that looks like the related lobster but is much smaller
2 : spiny lobster
Learn More about crayfish
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See words that rhyme with crayfish Spanish Central: Translation of crayfish Nglish: Translation of crayfish for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of crayfish for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crayfish
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